Challenge: Meeting students at the moments that matter most
Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management needed a branded item that could serve a very specific purpose: welcoming admitted students into the Whitman community in a way that felt genuine and lasting. When a student is admitted to Whitman, they’re invited to on-campus recruitment events to explore programs and get a feel for campus life. Whitman wanted a congratulatory gift for those events that students would hold onto and use. The item also needed to connect that initial moment of welcome to the next big milestone: move-in day in August.
Solution: A custom moving bag designed to work hard and travel far
The answer was a fully custom IKEA-style moving bag with straps and a zipper, printed edge-to-edge in full color with Syracuse’s signature orange-and-navy palette, logo, and icon. A moving bag was a natural fit because every student has a move-in day, and a bag has a clear, practical purpose directly tied to that experience. Distributed at admitted student recruitment events as a congratulatory gift, the bag was designed to travel with students through the summer and arrive on campus with them in August.
Research backs up why this category works so well. According to PPAI, bags and travel items rank among Gen Z’s top five preferred branded merchandise categories. An analysis of a University of Iowa student survey further confirms that students respond most positively to branded merchandise that is useful and thoughtfully chosen. This bag cleared both bars.
Outcome: A keepsake that keeps moving with students through life
The result was something rare in branded merch: an item that bridged two emotionally charged moments (the excitement of being welcomed into the Whitman community and the excitement of physically arriving on campus). That connection resonated well beyond the students themselves. Families took notice, too, reading the gesture as a sign that Whitman is thoughtful and genuinely invested in their student’s experience from the very beginning. What resonated most was the sense that this wasn’t a one-time-use item. A moving bag travels with a student from the residence hall to the first off-campus apartment to the first home, carrying a little piece of Whitman along for each transition.
What began as a completely custom project performed so well that the bag is now available as a stock item, giving other institutions access to a product proven to connect with students at one of the most memorable moments of their college journey.
“We wanted something that students would actually use, not just toss in a drawer. A moving bag made perfect sense because every student has a move-in day, and when they show up carrying Whitman-branded bags, it creates this amazing wave of school pride. The feedback from students and families was incredible. It’s become one of our most talked-about recruitment pieces.” — Lindsay Quilty, Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Student Success, Whitman School of Management
